Magnetic toy



Nov. 14, 1950 F. G. HANBACK 2,530,013

MAGNETIC TOY Filed Feb. 19, 1946 Patented Nov. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The invention relates to a, novel, inexpensive, and easily manufactured toy of the general type in which magnetically-attractable elements, contained in a casing, are movable by means of a manually guided magnet, to so place them with respect to a pictorial or other subject as to transform the appearance of said subject, humorously, grotesquely, or otherwise. The present disclosure relates more particularly to such a toy for hirsutely changing the appearance of the subject, being, therefore, analogous to the toy disclosed in my U. S. Patent 1,549,197 of April 11, 1925, over which it constitutes a marked improvement.

One object of the invention is to provide a toy of the general type aforesaid, in which both the top and bottom of the casing containing the magnetically-attractable elements, are transparent, permitting said casing to be placed upon any selected subject, for example, upon any page of a newspaper, magazine, book or the like, to utilize any desired picture as the subject to be transformed, thus providing for an unlimited variety of subjects.

Yet another object is to provide a toy of the class described in which any subject being used will be protected against the abrasive action of the magnetically-attractable elements, and this is of particular advantage when said elements are in the form of filaments of steel wool or the like for hirsute transformation of the subject.

A further object is to provide for keeping one or more pictorial subjects, furnished with the toy when purchased, in a convenient protecting compartment for use when desired.

A still further object is to provide a toy of the above stated type in which the casing containing the magnetically-attractable elements is hermetically sealed for the dual purpose of preventing entrance of moisture and effectively confining said elements. By excluding moisture, rusting of these elements is prevented, and by effectively confining them, the toy is made safe for even very young children who might otherwise get particles of said elements into their eyes, mouths,

noses, hands, etc., with more or less disastrous results.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a perspective view showing one form of the invention embodying one or more pictorial subjects to be transformed in appearance.

Figure 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a diasassembled perspective view of the form of construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a top plan view showing the manner of using the device of Figs. 1 to 3 to utilize a newspaper picture or the like as the subject to be transformed in appearance.

Figure 5 is a vertical section on line 55 0 Fig. 4. j

The forms of construction disclosed in the drawings will be rather specifically described but attention is invited to the possibility of making variations within the scope of the invention.

The construction shown comprises a shallow casing I0 having a flat transparent top II and a fiat transparent bottom I2. These members II and [2 may well be formed from Celluloid or other similar plastic and when this is done, they are preferably provided with integral peripheral flanges I3 and I 4 fitting one within the other and cemented together, to form the side wall of the casing Ill and to hermetically seal said casing. However, the members II and I2 could well be formed from glass, if desired. The casing side wall could be formed otherwise than as shown, and the casing It! could be hermetically sealed in any adequate way. Within the casing ID are the magnetically-attractable elements I5 to be used for transforming the appearance of any selected subject, said elements I5 being preferably hair-like strands of steel wool or the like. The hermetic casing sealing not only excludes moisture which would otherwise rust the elements I5, but it makes the toy much more safe for use by young children, as said elements I5 are effectively confined with no danger of finding their way into childrens eyes, mouths, noses, hands, etc. For moving the elements I5 as desired, a small bar magnet I6, inset in the end of a wooden or other non-magnetic rod I'l, is provided, the magnetic pencil thus formed being readily movable by hand to place the elements I5 wherever desired, with much more precision than if a horseshoe magnet were employed.

' Removably connected with the casing I0, is a sub-bottom I8 which forms a pictorial-sheet holder and which may be either transparent or opaque, the space between the two bottoms I2 and I8 constituting a compartment I9 in which one or more pictorial-sheets 20 (Figs. 1 to 3) are placed at the factory. Two of these sheets are shown, and by removing the holder I8, these sheets are accessible for placing either one with its face upwardly exposed to be visible through the casing top II and the casing bottom I2 when said holder is re-applied to the casing ID. The magnetic pencil I6I I may then be used to move the elements I5 as desired to simulate the growing of hair on selected portions of the subject. During the operations thus performed, the.

elements l5 are held out of contact with the sheet 20, by means of the transparent bottom I2 and, therefore, have no abrasive effect on said subject, insuring long life.

When the sub-bottom I8 is removed, the casing l may be placed directly upon a newspaper or magazine page or the like 2| (Figs. 4 and 5) to utilize a picture 22 thereof as the subject to be transformed in appearance, said subject being readily visible through the casing I 0 and thus well adapted for hirsute change, by means of the elements placed with the aid of the ma netic pencil I6-Il. The invention, by thus making ordinary pictures from publications available for hirsute transformation, insures an unlimited number of subjects and a toy of which no child will quickly tire.

In the preferred construction, the sub-bottom or holder I8 is provided with an integral upstanding marginal or side wall flange 23 to frictionally surround at least the lower peripheral portion of the casing side wall. In the present disclosure, the flange 13 of the casing top H terminates above the lower edge of the flange M of the bottom 12, leaving the lower portion of said flange Id exposed for frictional engagement with the wall 23 when the holder 18 is applied to the casing 19. The sheets 20 are in the form of flat disks bearing pictorial subjects as seen in Fig. 3, and they have a diameter corresponding to the internal diameter of wall 23 so that the entire area of the uppermost sheet is visible through the transparent casing.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for attaining the desired ends, and while preferences have been disclosed, attention is again invited to the possibility of making variations within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A magnetic toy comprising a substantiallyfiat, circular, hollow casing composed of two sheets of transparent "plastic material and an hermetically-sealed joint uniting the circular edge portions of said sheets to hold them in spaced relation, a multiplicity of magneticallyattractable elements permanently confined in the space between said sheets and protected from moisture by said sealed joint, a circular pictorialsheet holder having a circular side wall with an inner diameter of a size to receive and frictionally grip a peripheral'portion of said casing to releasably retain the latter in said holder, and fat least one flat circular pictorial-sheet confined in said holder by said casing and having a diameter corresponding substantially to the internal diameter of said side wall, said sheet bearing a pictorial subject to be changed in appearance, the entire upper area of said pictorial sheet being visible through the spaced transparent sheets of said casing, whereby a manually guided magnet when moved over the top of said casing may move said elements to any selected portion of said pictorial sheet to change the appearance of the pictorial subject thereon.

2. A magnetic toy comprising a, substantiallyflat, circular, hollow casing composed of top and bottom sheets of transparent plastic material each having a flat circular portion with an integral, peripheral, cylindrical flange, the flange on the bottom sheet being wider than the flange on the top sheet and telescoping into the same, said telescoped flanges being hermetically sealed to each other to exclude moisture from the space in said casing, a multiplicity of magneticallyattractable elements permanently confined in said casing and protected from moisture, a circular pictorial-sheet holder having a fiat bottom and a peripheral side wall with an inner diameter of a size toreceiver and frictionally grip the lower portion of the flange on said bottom sheet beneath the'flange onsaid top sheet,'to:releasably retain said casing insaid holder, and at least one flat, circular pictorial-sheet confined in said holder by said casing and having ,a -diam'eter corresponding substantially to the internal diameter of said side wall, said sheet bearing a pictorial subject to be changed in appearance, the entire upper area of saidpictorial sheet being visible through the spaced circular portions of said transparent sheets, whereby a manually guided magnet when moved over the to'p of said casing may move said elements over-any selected portion of said pictorial sheet'tochange the appearance of the pictorial 'subj ect thereon.

FRANK G. HANBACK.

REFERENCES .CI'EED The following references are of record in "the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES :PATENTS Number Name 'Date 1,549,197 'Hanback Aug. 11, 1925 1,595,221 Brown Aug. 10, 1926 1,718,346 Freundlich June '25, 1929 

